Chapter 2

Two days and nothing. Where was Kristi? And how was Ace supposed to locate her when all he had was a post office box number? On his first day, he had planted a surveillance camera outside the post office to make sure he didn’t miss her when she came to town. Since that time, he had spent countless hours in the town offices and the library digging through old phone books and land records. So far, he hadn’t found the golden nugget that told him where she was living.

She wasn’t listed as a property owner, nor could he find any record of her parents or grandparents paying local property taxes. All of his information had led him to believe she had moved here after inheriting her family’s land, but she had never mentioned anything about the location of that land beyond the name of the town.

He thought of the year they had spent together in high school, he a senior and she a sophomore. They had started out as acquaintances, and within weeks, she had become one of his closest friends. By the time he graduated, that friendship had turned into more, and he had once thought she was the woman he would someday marry. A visit home during his sophomore year of college had smashed those dreams and left a tombstone in the local cemetery with his name on it. He had never seen Kristi again.

Possible scenarios played through his mind over and over about how she would react when she saw him again. He couldn’t begin to imagine the betrayal she would feel when she learned the truth. Would she be able to forgive him? Would she even listen to the proposal the guardians wanted to offer her?

In an attempt to stay below the radar, Ace had chosen to camp on his boat as he watched and waited for Kristi. She hadn’t shown up at the post office to retrieve her mail, and the surveillance device he had planted near her box established that no one else had come to collect it for her.

His cell phone rang, the shrill sound startling a handful of seagulls perched on the pilings. “Hello?”

“Ghost, it’s Jim Whitmore.”

“Hello, Senator. What can I do for you?”

“I wanted to check in and see if you’ve had any luck.”

“Nothing yet.”

“We only have two weeks. Funding will come through on October 3.”

“It’s only been two days.” He briefly debated the consequences of what would happen if he couldn’t find Kristi or, worse, if she refused the job he was here to offer. “Do you have a backup plan if this doesn’t work out?”

“You know as well as I do that she was head and shoulders above everyone else we considered,” Jim said. “Like you said, it’s only been two days.”

Two days of sitting on edge, imagining one scenario after another of what Kristi would do, what she would say when she discovered the truth. “I’ll give you a call when anything changes.”

“Good luck.”

“Thanks.” Ace hung up and checked his surveillance feed again. Still nothing.

Moving topside, he stood on the deck and stared out at the water, the midday sun reflecting off the waves. Kristi had to be here somewhere.

He pondered the irony for a moment. For twenty years, Ace had lived in the shadows, unknown to the world. Now he was searching for the woman he had left behind, and she was proving to be every bit as invisible as he was.

A sailboat turned toward the harbor, slowing as it approached. Ace looked up, his gaze shifting to the woman at the helm. Instantly, his breath caught. “Kristi.” The single word escaped in a whisper and caught on the breeze.

The curve of her neck, her comfortable stance at the helm took him back in time. How many times had they gone out on the water together?

The brown hair that fed through the back of her ball cap was longer than he remembered, but her appearance hadn’t changed much despite the lifetime that had separated them.

She motored into a slip a dozen spaces away. Ace lowered his head, using his own hat to shield his face in case she glanced his way. He needn’t have bothered. The moment she reached the dock, she secured her boat and stepped ashore, her focus on the road leading into town.

* * *

The wind whipped at her ponytail as Kristi headed into the village. She waved at Wally Brown, the harbor master, as she passed by the fueling station and started up the hill. Cars lined Main Street in front of the various businesses, but the pedestrian traffic had dwindled significantly over the past two weeks.

She reached her first stop and passed through the door of the post office. “Hey, Bill.”

“Kristi. I haven’t seen you in a few days. How’s everything?”

“Not bad.” She retrieved a stack of envelopes from her
purse. “Samson’s thinking about keeping the deer out of my garden.”

“You know, I’m happy to come take care of a few for you.”

“Once hunting season opens, I might take you up on that.” Kristi handed him her outgoing mail and leaned against the counter. “Especially if you convince your wife to send one of her apple pies with you.”

“I think that can be arranged.”

Another customer entered, and Kristi turned to see Martin Pritchard. Her stomach clenched. Martin had been trying to buy her family’s land for as long as she could remember. He had nearly succeeded when her grandfather had fallen behind on his taxes two years earlier, an oversight that had occurred only months before his death.

“Kristi. I thought you were turning into a recluse on that island of yours.” The sneer in Martin’s voice reminded her of what she wanted to forget. If the lawsuit in November didn’t go her way, the island would no longer be hers. It would be his.

Forcing some confidence into her words, she said, “If I could get Bill to deliver my mail, I might do just that.” She slid her credit card into the card reader to pay for her postage.

“Winter’s coming. You sure you can handle being out there all by yourself?” Martin asked.

“I’ll manage.” She collected her receipt and turned toward the wall of post office boxes. “Thanks, Bill.”

Fighting against the uncertainty of the future, she unlocked her box, collected her mail, and walked outside. While she normally spent time walking through town and visiting various shops, the storm clouds in the distance and Martin’s presence in town were enough to dissuade her. Instead, she started down the street toward the market, glancing around as she walked.

Carol Alston wiped down the outdoor tables of the café. Outside the barber shop, Bruce Wiedelmyer chatted with Lowell Hansen, the owner of the butcher shop. Apparently, Lowell was serious about forcing his son, Grant, to take over the business. This was the third time in two weeks she had seen Lowell outside his shop.

Mayor Gilsom strolled out of the café, accompanied by the town manager, Vincent Anders. Kristi hoped she wasn’t about to get cornered into another conversation about why she wasn’t still dating the mayor’s son. Three weeks together had been more than enough to convince her that the younger Gilsom was best suited for someone who wanted to spend her days primping in front of the mirror and her nights at whatever social event could be found.

Both men stopped to greet her.

“Kristi, it’s been too long since you’ve been out to the house. We’re going to have to remedy that,” Stuart Gilsom said, shaking her hand.

Kristi nearly smiled at the mayor’s predictability. “I gather Monte is back in town.”

“Didn’t you hear? He’ll be starting his residency at the regional hospital next week.” Pride dripped from the mayor’s voice.

“That’s great. You must be thrilled to have him so close.”

“I am. I thought you might be pleased with the news as well,” Stuart said. “You two do make a handsome couple.”

“We did make a handsome couple,” Kristi corrected. “You just want him to settle down with someone around here so you can keep him close to home.”

“Can you blame me?” Stuart asked.

“Not at all.” The wind kicked up, and Kristi tugged on her ball cap to keep it in place. “Is everything else going well?”

“Can’t complain. Vincent here is trying to keep me on track.”

“No easy task,” Kristi said.

“No, it isn’t,” Vincent agreed. “Sometimes I think it was
easier when the mayor here was fixing the town instead of running it.”

“Once an engineer, always an engineer,” Stuart said good-naturedly.

“So you keep telling me,” Vincent said.

Ignoring his town manager’s comment, the mayor focused on Kristi again. “Kristi, why don’t you come over for dinner tonight? My wife said something about grilling some steaks.”

“Thanks, but I want to get home before this storm rolls in,” Kristi said.

“And we’d better get back to the office.” Vincent motioned to town hall. “See you later, Kristi.”

The two men crossed the street and stopped to chat with Bruce and Lowell before continuing toward the town hall. Heading down the sidewalk, Kristi made her way into the market and retrieved a cart. Even though she had shopped earlier this week, it wouldn’t be long before the weather would keep her from coming to town often.

She loaded up on various canned and dried food, as well as numerous baking items and a few perishables. When she reached the single checkout counter, she greeted the cashier. “Hey, Stacy. How’s it going?”

The pretty redhead flipped her long hair over her shoulders. “Brad Mayweather asked me out yesterday.”

“That’s great.” Kristi unloaded her purchases onto the counter and let herself fall into the lazy cadence of small-town conversation. “You’ve had your eye on him for a while now.”

“Ever since Lily broke up with him. Did you hear she’s engaged to that banker she’s been dating?”

“The one in Augusta?”

“Yeah. Rumor has it that he’s put in for a transfer to the branch here. Lily doesn’t want to move away, especially after that cancer scare with her dad last year.”

“I don’t blame her,” Kristi said, fighting the regret that always swept over her whenever she thought of her grandfather and the missed opportunities she’d had for visits when he was still alive.

Stacy rang up a case of canned milk. “Maybe you should invest in a cow.”

“I’ve thought about it,” Kristi admitted. “But then I would have to milk it every day. Not sure I’m ready to go to that extreme to be self-sufficient.”

“Speaking of which, do you have any more of that blueberry pie filling you made?” Stacy asked. “We had some requests for it yesterday.”

“I have about a dozen more cases I can sell.”

“Can you bring them next time you come into town? Might as well get them in stock before the weather turns.”

“No problem.” Kristi paid for her purchases. “Is it okay if I borrow the cart to take this stuff to my boat?”

“Of course.”

“Thanks. I’ll see you later.” Kristi pushed her cart outside and walked the two blocks to the harbor. Her eyes swept over the boats docked there, her gaze landing on the only unfamiliar vessel, a white cabin cruiser. A man stood at the helm, a hat hiding his face. He turned away from her as though staring out at the harbor.

His gray, long-sleeved T-shirt rippled in the wind, his toned back and shoulders evident. He turned his head slightly, and her breath caught, a memory from the past flooding through her.

She had been so young when Ace Samson had become the center of her world. His death had stolen what was left of her carefree days, leaving behind a scar that had never completely healed.

Her chest tight, she shook her head, fighting against the heartache and the sense of loss that could still sneak up on her unexpectedly.

She loaded her groceries into her boat and returned the cart to the store. When she returned, she glanced at the man on the cabin cruiser, again reminded of the happy memories of the man who had first captured her heart.

Eager to get on the water, she cast off. The sky darkened, her mood darkening with it. Life with Ace had been so bright, so promising, but every time she thought of him, she couldn’t help but remember the moment her future had died with him.

* * *

Ace followed the boat with the bright-blue sails, his body tensing each time Kristi came into view. She hadn’t lost her touch on the water, constantly finessing the edge of the wind to give herself more speed over the waves.

Taking a parallel path, he followed her general direction while trying to maintain the appearance that he was heading back down the coast. Storm clouds threatened in the distance. He hoped he didn’t have to travel far.

To his relief, Kristi adjusted her course and headed for land. An island. He hadn’t expected that.

She maneuvered toward a small inlet on the wayward side of the crescent-shaped piece of land located a mile off the coast of Maine. Ace glanced behind him, taking note of the two other vessels in the vicinity. One appeared to be heading toward the village, and the other was a fishing boat at anchor.

Continuing his course, Ace waited until he was out of sight of Kristi’s sailboat before he circled the island.

He scanned for any signs of life, not seeing anything besides a single doe on the edge of the woods. Taking his time, he rounded the curve of land to where he had started and studied the quiet cove with a single dock protruding into its center.

Kristi’s boat bobbed in the water, the sails secure. A picturesque cottage sat nestled in the trees a short distance from the natural beach, a larger home spanning the bluff to the right.

The wraparound porch and stairs leading to the beach and dock evoked an air of hospitality, yet from a defensive standpoint, he found himself approving. No one could approach this side of the island without the occupants seeing the newcomers, and the trees had been thinned out on the other side of the house so natural predators would be easily noticed as well.

A door opened, and a black lab bounded down the stairs of the main house. Ace slowed his speed and angled toward the dock.

“Samson!” Kristi called out.

Ace froze for a brief moment before he realized she was talking to the dog. The dog didn’t slow, apparently eager to greet the island’s newest guest.

Ace cut the engine and tied off his boat.

“Samson!” she called again. Kristi appeared at the railing and froze the moment she saw Ace. “Can I help you?”

Ace finished securing his boat and stepped onto the dock. “I hope so.”

He started toward the stairs, leaving his hat in place as a last-ditch effort to remain anonymous until he knew how many people were living on this island. The dog trotted along beside him, nosing his hand as though trying to get Ace to pet him. The feel of soft fur beneath his fingers chased away the worst of his nerves. “He’s not much of a guard dog, is he?”

“Who are you?” Kristi asked. A touch of uneasiness rippled through her voice when she added, “What do you want?”

Ace opened his mouth to answer her first question but couldn’t quite manage it. “I have a job offer I want to discuss,” he said instead. He reached the bottom of the stairs and ran a hand over the dog’s head. Drawing up his courage, he removed his hat and lifted his eyes to meet hers. “It’s good to see you again, Kristi.”

“Do I know you?”

Ace remained silent, giving her time to study the forty-year-old version of the man she had once loved. He saw the moment recognition dawned. Surprise, disbelief, confusion, hurt. So many emotions flickered across her face, but only one word escaped her lips. “Ace.”